To think of Hawaii is to imagine white sandy beaches, emerald cliffs and umbrella-shaded cocktails. Yet this delicate lei of volcanic flowers floating in the Pacific Ocean has some unlikely links to London. It's a story of murder, mutiny, mistaken regicide, hamburgers on Carnaby Street and those fruity-flavored rum floats with the funny paper umbrellas served beside Hyde Park.

The murder and the mutiny

It was Royal Navy Capt. James Cook who “discovered” Hawaii in 1778 and returned in 1779 to the Big Island of Hawaii. There was a disagreement over the ownership of a small boat and he was killed by angry Hawaiians. The British Empire League erected a statue to Cook in 1914 on the Mall between Admiralty Arch and Spring Gardens. No mention of Hawaii is made in the inscription.

Among the witnesses was a young officer, William Bligh, who would go on to infamy as the captain of the HMS Bounty during its mutiny by officers and men. Bligh was buried at St. Mary-at-Lambeth, a church now deconsecrated and used as a gardening history museum. Bligh's tomb, topped perhaps fittingly for the location with a breadfruit, is near the rear.

The accidental regicide

Around 1797, the second king of Hawaii was born. Kamehameha II asked to visit Britain after King George IV gave him the gift of a schooner in 1823. The King and favorite of his five wives, Kamamalu, arrived in Portsmouth on May 17, 1824, and the next day were staying at the Caledonian Hotel in London. Kamamalu was more than 6 feet tall and Native Hawaiians were an unfamiliar site to Londoners in general.

A week later, a reception with more than 200 guests, including many dukes, was held in the couple's honor. They toured London, visiting Westminster Abbey and attending opera and ballet at Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. A meeting was arranged with King George for June 21. But the meeting of kings was called off after it was found the Hawaiians had contracted measles, for which they had no immunity. It most likely was contracted during a visit to the Royal Military Asylum – now the Duke of York's Royal Military School. Kamamalu died July 8, 1824, and Kamehameha II died six days later, age 27.

Vast crowds lined up when Kamehameha II was laid in state at the Caledonian Hotel. The bodies were then stored in the crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, in Trafalgar Square, where they awaited transportation home. In September, the bodies finally returned to Hawaii on a Royal Navy frigate and Kamehameha II was succeeded by his younger brother Kauikeaouli, who became King Kamehameha III.

In the end, it was the United States, not Britain, that annexed Hawaii after a coup d'etat against the royal family by wealthy American planters. Many were the sons of missionaries who had come to save Hawaiian souls, only to have their children steal their flock's land and freedom. Britain's role in the islands is recalled by the presence of the Union Jack in the upper corner of the state flag.

Today, the ties between Hawaii and London are primarily about eating and drinking.

A burger fit for a...President

Tucked away down a cobbled lane next to Carnaby Street (the onetime Beatles haunt) in the Soho district is a hidden Hawaiian gem, the Kua 'Aina burger restaurant.

The original was opened by Terry Thompson in 1975 in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu. The burgers are a favorite of Hawaii's native son Barack Obama. When running for president in 2008, Obama dropped into Kua 'Aina and ordered 28 hamburgers for his Secret Service detail.

Thompson also owns two more shops in Hawaii and there are 20 licensed in Japan.

“Somebody once described us as ‘surfing the wave between cool and kitsch,'” co-owner and manager Ed Bardos said.

The surf shack-style diner takes great pride in its culinary techniques and recipes, cooking mouth-watering burgers on lava-rock grills. These bad boys are among the best in London.

The décor inside transports you back to the halcyon days of the surfing '70s, with wooden floors and paneling, bamboo roof, retro surfer prints, tropical ceiling fans and wall-mounted surfboards. Even the music is from that era. Space is at a premium, but that's nothing new in London, especially Soho. The intimacy just adds to the atmosphere. Bardos hopes to add a second shop soon.

Bardos said that in London they still honor what's called the kama'aina discount.

“It has traditional roots,” he said. “Because there are so many tourists in Hawaii, the locals often give each other a 10 percent discount. So when someone comes in here and pulls out a Hawaii driver's license, we give them the discount, too.”

The interior of the Kua Aina hamburger stand just off the famous Carnaby Street in central London. It's the only branch outside of Oahu and Japan. GARY A. WARNER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
People attend a memorial service at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in central London. The remains of Hawaiian King Kamehameha II lay in state at the church after his death in London. , AP FILE PHOTO
Kua Aiana restaurant near Carnaby Street in Central London is a rare modern outpost of Hawaiiana in the country that "discovered" the islands. Kua Aiana is famous as President Obama's favorite hamburger in his native Hawaii. The London branch is the sole franchise besides several in Japan. GARY A. WARNER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Capt. James Cook is shown in an undated portrait by John Webber. Cook who “discovered” Hawaii in and returned in to the Big Island of Hawaii where during a disagreement over the ownership of a small boat, he had his brains splattered about (and his body perhaps later taken away and eaten) by angry Hawaiians. File photo
Another well-known Polynesian or Hawaiian-style haunt in London is the venerable Trader Vic's bar in the Park Lane Hilton hotel. COURTESY OF SCOTT SNOWDEN
Agardener cleans up the tomb of Capt. William Bligh, who lost his ship in the famous Mutiny on the Bounty. His tomb is in the graveyard of St. Mary's Chuch, in London. The deconsecrated church is now a garden history museum. Blight accompanies Capt. James Cook on the voyage to Hawaii that would lead to Cook's death in a fight with islanders. ASSOCIATED PRESS

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